• GILBERT P. BAYORAN
The Department of Transportation is eyeing the privatization operations of the Bacolod Silay Airport, along with nine other regional airports by 2028, to improve connectivity across the archipelago.
During the Economic Journalists Association of the Philippines (EJAP) Infrastructure Forum in Makati City on June 16, Transportation Secretary Vivencio “Vince” Dizon said he committed to Pres. Ferdinand Marcos the privatization of the 10 regional airports via the public-private partnership (PPP) route by 2028.
Aside from the Bacolod Silay Airport, the DOTr is also looking at the airports of Iloilo, Davao, Siargao, Laoag, Busuanga, Bicol, Tacloban, General Santos, and Puerto Princesa.
To make the project financially viable, Dizon said the government is considering bundling multiple airports into a single contract.
“Government should really focus on making sure that a lot of areas have at least an airstrip, have an airfield, for logistics, for emergencies, for disaster response,” he added.
Meanwhile, Dizon said the government would continue building and expanding airports in remote areas.
The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) earlier committed P400 million for the upgrade of the Bacolod-Silay Airport.
CAAP will provide P200 million for the renovation of the terminal, while TIEZA will allocate P200 million for runway improvements, Bacolod City Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez disclosed.*
